In the “Yellowstone” recap for the mid-season finale, Jamie launches his attack against his father, Beth discovers some of her family’s secrets and Kayce takes on a new role…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
If there’s one thing we’ve learned through nearly five full seasons of “Yellowstone,” it’s that this ranch is the kind of place you devote your life to forever.
That’s been the overarching message during the first eight episodes, which have featured numerous flashbacks to the time when Rip Wheeler graduated from a kid working on the ranch to a man who vowed to spend the rest of his life there. Thanks to his feelings for Beth Dutton, Rip reacted rather harshly when he heard another cowboy say tawdry things about her and that led to a fight where somebody ended up dead.
In order to cover up Rip’s crime, John Dutton made him promise that he would dedicate his life to the ranch and do anything humanly possible to protect it. In return, the ranch would always be there for him and he would become family just like all of the other cowboys who took on the family brand that tied them to that place for eternity.
Rip ultimately chooses to call the Yellowstone-Dutton ranch his home for life, which speaks to the decision he made last week after John revealed that they would be forced to drive a herd of cattle south to Texas to survive for the winter after their own fields were infected with disease that could cripple all of the livestock. Actually there was no decision to be made because Rip knew it was his responsibility to care for the herd just like he’s always cared for the ranch but his absence at home may have repercussions based upon the coming war that will almost certainly tear the entire Dutton family apart.
That’s largely due to Jamie Dutton’s desire to remove his father from office so he can assume the role of Governor — a job he was groomed for since birth yet he was never allowed to take his rightful place at the table. Instead, Jamie was put in place as the attorney general so he could protect his father’s moves in office but he decided that enough was enough.
With Market Equities about to file a massive lawsuit against the state for breach of contract, Jamie knows Montana will go bankrupt but instead of allowing that to happen, he opts to turn against his father and seek his impeachment from office. Jamie believes the only way to save his family’s ranch is to sell off a piece to Market Equities just as he always intended, which would then allow an airport and resort to be built in their own backyard while the Dutton family would stand to earn hundreds of millions from the deal.
Jamie believes that’s the only way the ranch survives but obviously his father vehemently disagrees. Since taking office, John has done everything in his power as Governor to prevent his ranch from being sliced and diced and sold off for pieces. Now John’s moves have led to Jamie taking action against him, which will start what will undoubtedly become the Dutton civil war.
With that said, let’s recap the mid-season finale of “Yellowstone” titled “A Knife and No Coin”….
Just Ask
The episode opens with the first appearance of Jimmy all season long as he continues to live a happy existence on the 6666 ranch in Texas while waking up every morning next to his lovely fiancé Emily, who keeps him as satisfied as he’s ever been. The two of them can barely keep their hands off each other even as Jimmy prepares for a hard day herding cattle in the fields.
It’s a little vacation from the relentless drama happening back in Montana and a pretty good example why Jimmy decided to relocate his life to Texas on a full time basis. His biggest issues these days come down to giving Emily a proper foot massage and making sure he cleans up the bottle caps from the beer he drinks at the end of a hard day.
Jimmy’s absence all season long has been a bit perplexing unless he was essentially being written off the show but we know that’s not the case. Instead, it seems like Jimmy’s return will soon involve a reunion with some of his old friends from the Yellowstone as they drive a herd of cattle south with plans to lease a stretch of land from the 6666 ranch to help keep them alive through the winter.
Meanwhile back at the Yellowstone ranch, Rip and his chosen cowboys are loading up cattle to prepare for the long drive south. The trip will end in Texas but it will also mean the better part of a year away from home, which won’t be easy for any of them.
Ryan already gave up the brief relationship he was starting to build and Beth intends to fly south to Texas on a weekly basis just so she doesn’t have to stop seeing her husband. None of it’s easy but that’s the life of a cowboy.
Even Colby is feeling the reality of the situation when he runs outside to say goodbye to Teeter, who gives him a kiss before softly whispering in his ear that she loves him.
The journey to Texas will also leave the ranch vulnerable because Rip will be gone and John has business to tend to in Helena because he is the Governor of Montana after all. To protect the ranch, John turns to Monica for help.
First things first, Monica thanks John for his kind words on the day she buried her son after he told her the story about the brother he lost, the pain his mother felt and how his own father comforted her in that moment of need. Monica says that she’s been thinking about that ever since and it’s helped her survive the grief she’s been tormented by ever since her son died.
“I think sometimes God gives us tragedies so we can pass along how we survived it to the next generation of sufferers. If that makes any sense. Maybe someday all that knowledge leads to no tragedies at all.”
~ John Dutton
As for why John sought out Monica — he needs help with the ranch in his absence and that’s going to require Kayce returning on a full time basis. He knows that’s not the life that his son wants but Kayce is the only one suited to run the Yellowstone while both John and Rip are gone.
John offers Monica a home that’s built on the east camp part of the ranch — it’s not much but it will be all theirs and that also won’t force them to live in the big house like last time. He knows Kayce will do whatever Monica wants so that’s why John is asking her for this favor instead of asking his son.
“That’s all you ever had to do you know? Just ask.”
~ Monica Dutton
Before leaving to return to the state capital, John shares a moment with Rip as he prepares to leave for Texas. He also has a moment with Kayce while reminding his son just how much he loves him.
Later that day as Kayce continues herding cattle into trucks bound south for the winter, Monica approaches him about staying there on a permanent basis to care for the ranch in his father’s absence. Monica tells him that she can’t return to that rented house with a nursery where their son will never reside. Instead, she prefers a fresh start with a house of their own — and maybe a new nursery that will be filled in the future.
Kayce reminds Monica about the vision he saw last season when he was told he would have to make a choice one day — the ranch or his wife. She wonders if the house on the east camp was ever part of that vision.
When Kayce answers no, Monica says that perhaps a house of their own away from the main part of the ranch is the middle ground that the vision never considered. It’s the way Kayce can have both his wife and the ranch in his life.
Sneak Attack
With the ranch left to his son and the cattle on the way to Texas, John prepares for his return to Helena to assume his role as Governor but first he has to stop at the Broken Rock reservation for a press conference being held by Chief Thomas Rainwater and Governor Lynelle Perry.
It’s the day when both will announce that they vehemently oppose construction of a pipeline through the reservation that would essentially contaminate the drinking water used by all of the native people who live there currently.
Lynelle wonders why more members of the Broken Rock council aren’t there to show support and he reminds her that Angela Blue Thunder has stolen their loyalty, which means he’s essentially standing along these days. In a surprise, however, Thomas soon finds that he’s got more support than he thought when Governor John Dutton arrives to the press conference.
John tells Thomas that despite whatever differences they may have shared in the past, this pipeline is something neither of them want.
With that, John takes the stage to announce that he opposes this pipeline, the damage it will have on the state and the harm it will undoubtedly do to the native people.
While John is speaking at the reservation, he’s facing an attack from within his own government back in Helena as Jamie prepares to address the legislature with accusations against his father and his actions since taking on the role as Governor.
Jamie reveals that there’s a forthcoming lawsuit against the state that Montana will lose. He informs them that the taxes enforced against non-residents will almost certainly hurt tourism in the state, which is the biggest profit driver in Montana. All in all, Jamie accuses his father of actions that serve only his ends but it will cost Montana billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.
“Governor Dutton has violated state law and his sworn oath of office to act in the best interest of the state.”
~ Jamie Dutton
Back at the reservation, John has just introduced Thomas Rainwater when alerts start going off on phones and the assembled media abandon all concern about this pipeline and turn their attention to the Governor, who is facing a senate tribunal that seeks to evict him from office. For the first time in the state’s history, a sitting Governor is facing potential impeachment after the senate voted to move forward with action against him.
Rather than address his pending impeachment, John turns his attention back to the problems at hand before apologizing to Thomas because he has no idea this was going to happen thus causing a distraction to the more important issue with the pipeline being proposed at the reservation.
“This moment isn’t about me and I won’t let it be. The issues facing this reservation are real. Far more real than any theater playing out in Helena right now. Keep your focus on the issue of the day because it will still be one tomorrow.”
~ John Dutton
John is now forced to return to Helena to prepare his defense as his first term as Governor is being threatened by the boy he calls a son.
The Dutton Civil War
As Beth prepares to head out for the day she decides to have a little friendly sparring with Summer, which seems to be the way these two will get along. They argue, they yell but in the end Beth just reminds Summer not to touch her peanut M&M’s or there will be hell to pay.
Before Beth can leave, however, Summer has to break the unfortunate news that’s all over the internet — Attorney General Jamie Dutton is seeking to impeach his own father Governor John Dutton.
Well, needless to say that sets Beth on fire as she jumps in her car and heads to Helena to confront her wayward brother.
At his house, Jamie is enjoying some time in bed with Sarah Atwood, who is praising him for a perfect speech and the exact kind of attack that’s needed to take down his father. The doorbell soon rings and Jamie sees that his sister has arrived to pay him a visit.
Sarah thinks ignoring her is the best course of action but she doesn’t know much about Beth Dutton because a moment later, she smashes through the back door with a brick as Jamie rushes downstairs to confront his sister.
Jamie attempts to force his sister to leave but she refuses and ultimately smacks him in the head with the brick that she used to break into the house. Beth then reminds Jamie that his actions today will only lead to his downfall because her next move will be to send photos that show him dumping his dead father’s body in a ravine at the border between Montana and Wyoming.
It’s the blackmail that Beth has been using to keep Jamie in line this entire time but little does she know that her leverage isn’t quite as damning as she hoped.
Jamie tells Beth that if she tries to take him down with those photos that she’ll be condemning their father and even her husband as well. That’s when he realizes that Beth has no idea about the “train station” — the canyon in Wyoming where the Dutton family has been dumping dead bodies forever.
“There is a century’s worth of our family’s secrets down at the bottom of our canyon.”
~ Jamie Dutton
As it was explained previously, the Dutton family found a loophole that a trial for any murder in Wyoming must be held in the county where the body is discovered. The canyon where the Dutton family dumps those bodies sits in a county where nobody lives, which means it’s impossible to hold a trial with a jury from where those bodies reside.
Still, digging up the skeleton in Jamie’s closet will mean doing the same for the entire Dutton family and that essentially negates the leverage that Beth has over him.
Jamie then explains to his sister that whether she likes it or not, what he’s doing is ultimately in the best interest of their family and saving the Yellowstone-Dutton ranch. By allowing that airport to be built, the Dutton family will have enough money to not only hold onto the rest of the ranch but they’ll maintain more power than they’ve ever had before.
As a result there will still be a ranch to hand down to Tate and Jamie’s son one day because otherwise John will lose it all and Beth knows it.
“The greatest threat to that ranch is our father and you know that, too. So I will remove the threat.”
~ Jamie Dutton
After Beth leaves, Jamie gets nursed back to health by Sarah when he asks her about their next course of action because he knows his sister won’t just go away quietly. In fact, Jamie is confident that Beth will come after him with both barrels — and that may not be a figure of speech with how angry she is right now.
Sarah suggest hiring a security team to watch his back but Jamie prefers another option to eliminate the potential threat against him.
“That’s playing defense. What if I want to play offense?”
~ Jamie Dutton
Sarah then suggests a couple of different options that would take out his sister but make it look like she suffered a heart attack or perhaps a car accident that could never be traced back to him. Jamie believes it might be time to silence Beth once and for all so he asks Sarah to set up a meeting with those people who could facilitate his sister’s demise.
As for Beth, she goes to the Governor’s mansion to visit her father and that’s where he finds him, Senator Perry and his assistant Clara watching a news report about those mission wolves and how the environmental group is suggesting they were killed on the Yellowstone-Dutton ranch. John knows this is just an attempt to further besmirch him after Jamie launched his sneak attack on the same day.
When Beth arrives, she asks her father about taking a trip to the train station and John asks everybody else to leave the room.
John finally comes clean to his daughter about the canyon where the Dutton family have been burying their problems for so many years. He reminds her about the men that attacked her in her office and how the police never came calling about that crime.
It’s because anybody dumb enough to attack the Dutton family ends up in that ravine along with the dead bodies of all the other enemies who dared opposed them. Yes, Jamie knows about it because he was trusted with that information after he killed a reporter asking too many questions a couple of seasons ago.
As much as that lonely grave stops her from using the blackmail photos against her brother, Beth starts to wonder if perhaps that canyon in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming might offer the best possible solution to deal with Jamie.
“If there is a place our enemies go and nobody ever knows they went and they will never come back — then I think that’s the place for Jamie.”
~ Beth Dutton
Beth turns to her father and they share a conversation in quiet that we’re not able to hear. In the past, John has reacted rather harshly whenever Beth suggested harming Jamie because as much as it pains him to say it, he still considers him a son and he could never let anything bad happen to him.
Has John changed his mind now that Jamie is threatening the very ranch that he’s spent his entire life protecting? Did Jamie finally cross a line that he can’t come back from?
We won’t know for certain until “Yellowstone” returns for the second half of season 5, which will debut on the Paramount Network in the summer of 2023.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b6ZIkcNslA
